


It Shouldn't Be This Easy To Pretend

by AquariusRose07



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-06-28 00:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15696456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquariusRose07/pseuds/AquariusRose07
Summary: Fake dating AU, but Anne is the one who needs to pretend.





	1. Chapter 1

Thursday 

“Lettie, he's my boss. I can't just ask him something like that!” Anne laughed at her best friend incredulously.  
“Girl, we both know he's more than just your boss, so don't try it.” Lettie rolled her eyes as Anne blushed. 

The two women met when they applied for jobs at P.T Barnum’s performing arts studio in New York; Lettie as a singing teacher and Anne as a dance instructor, and thankfully, they both got the jobs. 

“Okay, so maybe we're friends,” Anne shrugs, “That doesn't mean I can ask him to accompany me home for a week and pretend to be my boyfriend!” Anne shakes her head at Lettie’s ridiculous idea, her curly hair flying over her shoulders. 

“I don't see why not. Ever since the studio hit that rough patch last year and P.T brought Phillip in as an investor, you two have been basically inseparable. Honestly when you're together it's like you barely notice anyone else. And I know for a fact that you've spent time together outside of work.” Lettie says with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows. 

“I promise you, it's not like that at all, we're just friends.” Anne looks down at the floor of her dance studio and sighs.  
“But you want it to be more.” Lettie says softly, leaning against the ballet bar. 

Anne looked over at her friend. “Maybe I do, but it could never work. He's my boss, it's just not appropriate. Besides, there's no way he feels the same.” Anne's shoulders deflate as she thinks about how long she's been in love with Phillip Carlyle. 

“Plenty of people date their bosses, Anne. And I'm certain that he is just as in love with you as you are with him. You should talk to him about it.” Lettie gives her friend a sympathetic look. 

Just as Anne opened her mouth to respond they were interrupted by Phillip sticking his head in the door. His gaze immediately went to Anne, and she gave him a small smile in return.  
“Sorry to interrupt ladies but we're ready to lock up for the day if you're both finished.” Phillip flashed his signature grin and Anne felt her face heat up. 

“Don't worry about it Phil. We were all done here anyway. In fact…” Lettie smirked at Anne before continuing to address their boss, “Me and Anne were just talking about you.”

Anne's eyes widened in shock as she tried to subtly shake her head at Lettie.  
“Good things I hope?” Phillip glanced at his employees as the trio began to leave the studio. 

Lettie grinned at Anne as she began to explain. “Anne's parents are having an anniversary party next Friday, but Anne hasn't been home in a while, so they're trying to persuade her to stay with them for the week.”  
“And you were wondering if you could have the time off?” Phillip looks over at Anne, who shifts her gaze from Lettie to the piercing blue eyes she loves so much. “It's not a problem, I'm sure Queenie will be willing to pick up more hours and take your classes for the week.” 

“Thank you,” Anne smiles at Phillip as they reach the front doors of the building, where they can see P.T waiting for them, “I know it's short notice but I really appreciate it.” 

“That's great, but that wasn't really the issue.” Lettie begins. She receives an elbow to the ribs from Anne who hisses at her to be quiet.  
“Oh?” Phillip questions, glancing between the two women. The four of them had left the building and begun walking to the parking lot. P.T was listening intently, not wanting to interrupt the conversation at hand, but also not wanting to miss any potential gossip. 

“The real issue is that Anne needs someone to go with her, and pretend to be her boyfriend for the week because her ex will be there and her parents are always asking her about when they're going to get back together.” 

“Lettie!” Anne glares at the older woman who just mouths “Ask him!!” and nods her head towards Phillip. 

“And you think that if you convince your parents that you have a boyfriend and you're happy they'll back off and stop trying to get you back with your ex?” P.T finally butts in to the conversation. Personally he thinks it's a great idea, these two have danced around their feelings for long enough. 

“I think it's a great idea, you should definitely go with her Phillip.” He throws a wink towards his business partner, whose face is now bright red. 

Anne looks at Phillip and offers him a smile. “You really don't have to, it was Lettie’s idea really, and you're the only person we know who could help me, but it's fine.” Anne gives a small shrug, trying to look like she's not mortified; she's convinced that Phillip is about to laugh at her and tell her there's no way he'd ever agree to something like that. 

“I'll come with you.” Phillip says the words before his brain can fully process what Lettie had suggested. 

“What? Really?” Anne can't hide the shock in her voice. 

“Yeah, why not? I think it could be fun, plus it'll be pretty cool to meet your parents.” Phillip grins at Anne as he walks over to his car. “What time do we leave, I can pick you up tomorrow?” 

“Th-That would be great, thank you. As long as you're sure you don't mind the drive? I could always do it. We'll need to leave pretty early to try and avoid traffic.” 

Anne is not entirely sure what's happening at the moment. 

“Don't worry, I'm good. I'll pick you up from your apartment at nine!” Phillip waves to the others as he gets in his car and drives away. 

“What just happened..?!” Anne turns to see Lettie and P.T grinning at her. 

“Phillip just agreed to pretend to be your boyfriend for the next week!” Lettie laughed. 

“Hopefully by the end of the week you'll have both come to your senses and confessed your feelings for each other.” P. T winked again, at Anne this time and opened his car door. “Have a great week Anne!” He shouted out his window as he pulled away. 

“Lettie, I seriously don't know if I can do this. How am I supposed to pretend to be his girlfriend for a week?!” Anne was seriously starting to regret everything that had happened in the last half an hour. 

“You'll be fine. Something tells me that you're not going to have to try very hard to convince your parents that you're dating. And at least this way they'll get off your back about your ex. Trust me Anne, it'll be a piece of cake.” 

Anne gave her a look of pure disbelief. She had no idea how she was going to survive the next week.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday 

“So,” Phillip glanced over at Anne sitting in the passenger seat. He had picked her up this morning like promised and they had now been on the road for about an hour. 

The journey so far had been comfortable, both of them talking and laughing with each other, while simultaneously reminding themselves that they weren't actually in a relationship. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to remember that fact. 

“I know that I'm pretending to be your boyfriend for a week to stop your parents from trying to get you back with your ex, but can I have a bit more background information please? Like why are your parents so keen for you to get back with him? Is he like the greatest guy you've ever met or something?” 

Phillip regretted that last question as soon as it left his mouth. He couldn't bear for her to say yes. 

Phillip noticed Anne had a far away look on her face and worried that he'd overstepped.  
“Anne?” he prompted gently. “I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable with.” He gave her a reassuring smile. 

Anne had actually been wondering since Phillip's questions if there was a way she could tell him that he was in fact the greatest person she had ever met, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the heartbreak when he rejected her. 

Plus, they still had to spend the next week together, and she didn't want things to be awkward before they'd even arrived at her parents house. 

Anne quickly realised that she hadn't answered Phillip and looked over at him. 

“Don't apologise please. It's fine. You should know everything anyway, it'll make our relationship more believable. I met Eli in the local bar back home. I was out with a few old friends from school, and a few of them had invited some of their other friends. Eli happened to be one of them. We spent most of the night talking; he was sweet, and funny, so when he asked for my number I gave it to him. We went out for two years, and it was great. We rarely argued, he really is a good guy. But everyone we knew started talking about marriage, and then it was like every time we were with other people they kept asking us when we were going to settle down. I have to admit I'd been thinking about it, and my parents were very keen on the idea. Then, one day, Eli broke up with me. He said that he wasn't sure he wanted to ever get married and he felt pressured. Secretly I think he got fed up of being in a serious relationship and wanted to see other people. If you believe the rumours from my old friends, he was seeing someone else a few weeks later.” Anne couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. 

“I'm sorry. That must have been awful for you.” Phillip glanced at her quickly and Anne could see the genuine concern and sadness in his eyes. 

“It was, for a while.” She gave a small smile and shrugged. “But then I got over it. A couple of months later I found the advert for P.T’s dance studio online and applied for the job. The day I was leaving for New York he showed up at my apartment. He must've heard about it from my parents. They still talk to him. I think it's because he was my only relationship, and when it ended they were worried I would never find someone again. I'm not exactly the most confident when it comes to making friends and talking to people.” Anne looked down at her feet. 

Phillip turned to her as the car stopped at a red light. 

“Tell me about it.” he said with a light laugh. “When I first started at the studio I honestly thought that you hated me. It was only when Lettie told me that you were shy and unsure of how to talk to new people that I realised I would have to be the one to initiate our friendship.” 

Anne looked up and smiled at him. “I'm really glad you did.” 

It was only when the car behind honked that Phillip realised he and Anne had been staring into each others eyes. 

He turned back to the road and cleared his throat awkwardly as Anne turned to look out of the window. 

They were both blushing profusely and the car had filled with an awkward tension. 

“You said that Eli showed up before you left for New York?” Phillip couldn't bear the tension so decided to try and start up the conversation again. He couldn't bring himself to glance at Anne. 

“Oh yeah.” Anne was grateful for the conversation. 

Her mind had been running with thoughts of kissing Phillip. 

If they hadn't been interrupted by the light changing, Anne was pretty sure she would've closed the distance between their faces. It had been incredibly tempting. 

“So he showed up at my parents place and told me that he was sorry, and that he wanted us to get back together. I told him no. We'd been broken up about six months by this point, and I'd realised that although I was sad when he ended it, and I did love him, I wasn't heartbroken. It wasn't the end of the world for me. I think that's when I realised that he wasn't the one, and I'm happy that he broke up with me; imagine if I hadn't realised and we'd actually got married?! I'm pretty sure he only wanted me back because he'd made his way through most of the single girls back home by this point and just assumed I'd be moping around waiting for him to come back. I think it hurt him when he realised that I'd moved on with my life. I haven't spoken to him since that day.” 

“And do you still feel the same now? You're not worried that seeing him might bring back old feelings?” Phillip was afraid of the answer, but he had to know. 

Anne looked over at him and he could see the certainty in her eyes. “Not at all. We broke up almost two years ago, and like I said, I know that he wasn't the one.” 

“Forgive me for asking this, but, has there been anyone else? I just feel like if we're going to convince your parents then we should know each other's full relationship history.” Although Phillip really did believe that they should know everything to convince others, most of him was asking because he wanted to know for himself. 

Anne looked slightly embarrassed. “No, there, uhh, hasn't been anyone else. Just Eli.” 

Phillip couldn't deny that he was surprised. 

“Really?” 

Anne gave him a look of confusion. 

“Sorry. I just find it hard to believe that someone as amazing as you has only ever had one boyfriend. You must've had admirers. I've seen the way some of the dad's try and flirt with you when they pick up the kids from your class.” Anne blushed again, but it wasn't because Phillip had mentioned people flirting with her. It was because he'd noticed. Why was he watching when she talked to other people? And did he really just call her amazing?! 

Anne cleared her throat awkwardly. “Well, thank you. And yes, a few people have asked, but I always say no.” 

Phillip gave her a quizzical look.

She shrugged one shoulder, causing her curly hair to bounce with the motion. “It just never felt right. I know some people would say I'm inexperienced, only having had one relationship my entire life, but I'm twenty six now. My relationship ended when I was twenty four. I don't want to do the whole dating just for the sake of it thing, if I'm going to be with someone, it should feel natural from the start. I'd like to have children and get married. When I was younger I always imagined that I'd have done both by the time I was thirty.” Anne gave a huff of laughter. 

“Well you still have four years. That's a fair amount of time. Maybe the right person is just around the corner.” Phillip knew that if he wasn't careful he was going to let something slip and then Anne would definitely know how he felt. 

He couldn't stop his mind from thinking about Anne in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle to him, or them at home with a baby, a little girl with Anne's dark, unruly curls and his shocking blue eyes. 

The images in his head made him ridiculously happy and then instantly sad when he realised that they would never come true. 

“What about you? What's your relationship history?” Anne pulled Phillip from the scenarios in his head and looked at him with a curious expression. 

Phillip winced. This wasn't going to paint him in a good light. It might even make Anne hate him a little bit, but he was going to be just as honest as she had been. 

“I've never had a long term relationship with anyone. I used to drink a lot in college, before I settled down in my final year and decided that I actually wanted to make something of my life. I worked with a few friends who had set up their own businesses and earned money that way for a while. Then I started investing in small companies. As you know, that's how I started working at the studio. Though I have never been so involved with one of my investments before, but P.T treated me like family from the beginning, and I loved the feel of the studio, and how hard you all work. Seeing the joy you all bring to those kids you teach is amazing. When P.T asked me if I wanted to help him run the studio instead of just being an investor, I knew I couldn't say no. And this last year has been the best of my life. My relationships in college never lasted longer than a few weeks, and if I'm being honest, I was too drunk most of the time to even remember most of the girls names. I know that makes me sound terrible, but I'm not the same person I was in college. I rarely touch alcohol now and I remember the names of the few girls I've been on dates with since then.” Phillip risked a glance at Anne, but he couldn't read the look on her face. 

She didn't look angry at least. 

“Everyone has a past Phillip. And everyone has done things they're not proud of. But you're right, you're not the same person you were back then. Anyone can see that.” She gave him a genuine smile and Phillip felt his shoulders relax. 

Anne was hesitant to ask the next question, but she needed to know. “Have there been many girls since you finished college?” Anne found that she couldn't meet Phillip's eyes. 

“In the four years since I have finished college, I have gone on exactly six dates. And none in the last year. I didn't really think about it too much to be honest, I was so busy working. A couple of them were set up by friends, the others were girls who asked me out. They were all nice enough, but there was just no spark, and I wasn't interested enough to ever set up a second date.” 

“You really haven't been seeing anyone?! You haven't even been on a date since you joined the studio?” Anne's voice failed to hide her shock. “You're a good looking man, Carlyle, I can't believe you've not bothered to find someone. What if the perfect woman was right in front of you and you didn't even notice?” 

Phillip smirked over at Anne. “Handsome am I? And to be honest, I think I have found the one, but I get the feeling that it's not going to work out.” Anne's eyes grew wide as she realised what she'd said. 

Phillip's last sentence then registered in her head. 

He's already found the perfect woman. Not only that, but he said she was the one. 

Anne turned to look out of the window, not wanting Phillip to see the tears that were threatening to fall. Anne knew that she would never have a chance with someone as great as Phillip, but hearing him essentially say it out loud broke her heart. 

She knew now that this week was going to be impossible, and wondered why Phillip had agreed to go with her when he was obviously in love with someone else. 

Phillip looked at Anne, but she had turned away from him. He didn't know why he'd told her that, and now he was worried that she would work out he was referring to her, and call this whole week off. 

A few minutes later, Phillip pulled the car up outside a modest two storey house and turned off the engine. “We're here.” He spoke softly, afraid to upset the uneasy silence in the car further. 

Anne gave him a small smile as she got out of the car. 

Phillip followed her to the trunk to grab their bags, and as they turned towards the house, he made out two people waiting in the open front door, waving at them. 

He took in a sharp breath as his nerves suddenly took over. 

Anne grabbed his hand and squeezed gently. “Hey.” Phillip turned to look her in the eyes. “You've got this. I have complete and utter confidence that we're going to pull this off. Just relax, I'm right here with you, and I'm not going anywhere. I promise.” Anne gently placed her hand on his cheek and Phillip immediately felt his skin burn from the contact. 

“Okay.” He breathed out and turned to face the house again, letting Anne pull him towards their home for the next week.


	3. Chapter 3

“So remind me how you two met again?” Mr Wheeler looked across the lunch table at his daughter and her boyfriend. 

“I told you dear, they met at the studio where Anne works. Though now I think about it that's actually all I know. We didn't even realise you were seeing someone until you said you were bringing a date!” Mrs Wheeler gave Anne a reproachful look.  
She knew her children had their own lives now but she still liked to think they would tell her about the important things happening in their lives. 

Anne tried to hide the guilty look she could feel on her face, she didn't like lying to her parents but she knew if she'd come alone Eli would've been mentioned constantly and she couldn't deal with that. Of course, a large part of her wished that it was real. She couldn't stop the elated feeling that spread through her when her father referred to Phillip as her boyfriend. 

“There's not much more to it, Mom.” Anne cast a sideways glance at Phillip and he gave her a small smile. She could see that he was still nervous. 

“Phillip started out as an investor in the studio after P.T hit a rough patch last year. He basically saved all of our jobs and found the most creative ways to bring students in! After that P.T asked him if he wanted to stick around and be a partner in the business. Luckily for me, Phillip agreed.” Anne grinned at her parents across the table as she placed her hand on Phillip's arm. 

Phillip was staring at Anne with wide eyes. 

He knew she was talented but wow. 

She could be an actress with those skills. 

He tried to ignore the pang of sadness in his chest as he reminded himself that she was just saying and doing these things to convince her parents, she didn't actually mean any of it. 

Phillip had been pleasantly surprised by Jacob and Hazel Wheeler. 

He wasn't exactly expecting them to be monsters, but the way Anne had talked about them idolising her ex boyfriend had convinced him that they would hate him immediately. 

So far, they had been nothing but friendly, and Phillip could feel himself gradually relaxing. 

The Wheeler's were the spitting image of their children. 

Though Phillip had only met W.D a couple of times when he'd popped into the studio to see Anne, he could see that he was the same height as his father and had the same broad shoulders and set jaw. 

Anne's mother was a few inches smaller than her; Anne had clearly also inherited her father's height, but they had the same warm brown eyes and wild, dark hair that fell in curls around their faces. 

As lunch came to an end Phillip and Anne helped to clear the table. Anne handed her mother a plate and Hazel took her daughter's hand. “I'm impressed Anne. Phillip seems lovely, and he's certainly handsome. You picked a good one.” Anne could feel her face beginning to flush and turned away from her mother. 

“Oh Anne, I forgot to mention,” Jacob and Phillip came walking into the kitchen, carrying the last of the dishes. “I saw Eli in town this morning. He said that he's looking forward to seeing you again and can't wait to catch up.” 

“Wow, we've barely been here two hours and already the ex boyfriend who can do no wrong is mentioned.” Anne rolled her eyes and grabbed Phillip's hand. 

“C’mon Phillip, I'll show you the rest of the house.” Phillip let Anne pull him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, he could hear her parents trying to apologise behind them, but Anne was ignoring them. 

She pushed Phillip through a door and into a bedroom. The room was scarcely furnished, with just a double bed in the middle, a couple of bedside tables and a chest of drawers against the far wall. The walls were painted a pale purple and the floor was covered in a soft cream carpet. 

“I'm so sorry about them. I can't believe they've mentioned him already, and in front of you! I swear, sometimes they have no respect.” Anne was pacing and dragging a hand through her hair, making the messy curls stick out in all directions. 

Phillip crossed to her from the doorway and gently took her hands in his. “Hey, calm down. It wasn't even that bad.” 

Slowly, as if he thought she might shy away from him, Phillip reached a hand out and smoothed down her hair before putting his other arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. 

Anne immediately felt all the anger leave her body, and hugged Phillip back tightly. 

She wished she could stay like that all week, just her and Phillip, holding each other. Unfortunately a moment later Phillip pulled away, looking at Anne with soft eyes.  
She looked back at him and ran a hand over her face. “I'm sorry. I know I probably overreacted back there. It's just that they were so sure I'd end up marrying Eli that they've had a hard time with the fact I've moved on. They're great people really, I'm incredibly grateful to have such amazing parents, the fact that this is the one thing they've decided to cling on to annoys me so much. Unfortunately, that probably won't be the only time Eli is mentioned this week. So I'm apologising in advance for whatever else they might say.” 

“Honestly, don't worry, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it. And they really are lovely people.” 

Phillip decided it was time for a change of subject before Anne got worked up again. 

“So this is your bedroom huh? It's kind of empty.” Phillip waved a hand around the room. 

“I took pretty much everything with me when I moved out. I didn't own an excessive amount anyway so there was no point in leaving anything here. Though now you've brought my room up, there's something I should've told you before we got here.” Anne looked down and Phillip could see that she was nervous about something. 

“Whatever it is I'm sure I'll cope.” He shot her a smile as she looked up at him again. 

“I was going to mention it earlier and then I kind of forgot. If you're uncomfortable we can figure something else out. It's just that, well, after W.D moved out my parents used his room for storage and so it's kind of full of boxes and stuff, which means that you'll have to share my bed this week.” Anne could feel the flush rising on her face as she finished speaking. 

To her surprise Phillip let out a small laugh. 

“Anne, I assumed that we would be sharing a bed anyway. It would look a bit strange if your boyfriend was sleeping in the spare room. As long as you're comfortable with it, then so am I.” 

Phillip had known that sharing a bed would be likely, but he wasn't actually sure how he was going to deal with sleeping next to Anne for an entire week. 

Anne felt exactly the same. “I'm fine with it, it's a pretty big bed after all.” 

That night Anne and Phillip were alone in her parents house. 

Her mom had informed her that they were going out for dinner. They had of course invited Anne and Phillip to accompany them, but after the long car ride Anne and Phillip both decided they would rather stay in. 

They had ordered a pizza and were sitting side by side on the couch, watching a movie. 

Phillip tried not to think about the fact that every time Anne leaned forward to grab a slice of pizza her arm brushed against his, but he was finding it incredibly difficult. 

“So, how have you found the first day? Tired of pretending to be my boyfriend yet?” 

Phillip turned to see Anne smirking at him and let out a small laugh. “I'd say it's been pretty good so far. It's nice getting to see where you grew up and being able to meet your family. I'm rather looking forward to the rest of the week actually.” 

Phillip gave Anne a cheeky grin that she couldn't help returning. “Well I'm glad my parents haven't scared you off… Yet.” 

Seeing Phillip's raised eyebrow Anne added, “Believe me, there's still time.” 

Phillip laughed as he relaxed back into the couch. 

They settled into a comfortable silence and a short while later Phillip felt a weight settle on his shoulder. 

He looked down to see Anne asleep and snoring softly. As quietly as he could Phillip turned off the tv and manoeuvred himself so that he could gently lift Anne into his arms. He carried her up the stairs to her room and tucked her into bed. 

He stood watching her sleep for a few minutes, smiling to himself. 

She looked so peaceful with her hair spread out over the pillow and a small smile on her lips. 

Not for the first time that day Phillip found himself wishing that it was real and that Anne really was his girlfriend. He had never seen anyone so beautiful and he knew that he had been in love with her far longer than he would ever admit to himself. 

Bending down, he brushed a kiss to the top of her head before going to get ready for bed himself. 

As he began to drift off to sleep Phillip allowed himself to imagine what things would be like if he told Anne how he felt, assuming she felt the same way of course. 

He knew it was wishful thinking but he found that he couldn't help himself. Anne was the last thing on his mind as he finally fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly I would just like to say that if anyone is still around for this story, then thank you. Secondly I would like to apologise. This update is much, much later than it should've been and I promise I am going to try my best to make sure that it's not another four months before the next one. Thirdly, I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to Kagee!

Saturday 

The next morning Phillip woke up to discover that Anne had shifted in the night and was now lying with her head on his shoulder, one arm draped over his middle while one of his arms had somehow wrapped itself around her waist. He immediately tried to gently shift away, worried about what Anne would think of their position. 

The slight movement however caused Anne to stir, and she moaned slightly before burying her face into Phillip's neck and letting out a soft sigh. Phillip stilled, unsure of what to do now. 

A few moments later Anne blinked opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly. As soon as she was awake enough to realise her previous position, she scooted to the other side of the bed and began apologising profusely. “Oh my God, I'm so sorry Phillip! I probably should've warned you that I'm a bit of a cuddler when I sleep. I'm so embarrassed.” Anne got out of the bed to avoid looking at Phillip. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't thoroughly enjoyed being that close to him, but she didn't want to think about that right now, he must have felt so uncomfortable. 

Anne was startled out of her own thoughts when Phillip laughed. 

“Don't worry about it Anne, please. If I'm being honest it was probably the best night's sleep I've had for a while.” He offered her a smile and then got up to rummage for clothes before going into the bathroom to get ready. 

He didn't want to think about the fact that he would be more than willing to wake up with Anne cuddled into his side every morning, or the fact that he'd just been very close to telling her so. 

Once the pair were ready they decided to go out for breakfast. Anne's parents were out all day organising things for the party, though they would be having dinner with them that evening. 

As they walked down the street, Anne reached over and grabbed Phillip's hand. At the inquisitive look he gave her, she mumbled “Sorry, it's just in case anyone I know sees us.” That was the excuse she was using for herself anyway. Phillip tried not to be disappointed by her comment. Part of him kept forgetting that this was all fake. It was so easy to imagine it being real, but he knew that Anne absolutely did not feel the same, and he was just helping her out, because they were friends. 

They spent the entire day with Anne giving Phillip a guided tour of her hometown. Anne felt incredibly happy as she and Phillip walked hand in hand to the restaurant to meet her parents. They'd spent the day just laughing and joking with each other, and Phillip had seemed genuinely interested in everything Anne had been saying during the tour. 

She was finding it harder and harder to remember that their relationship was fake. Everything just seemed to come so naturally, to her at least. Anne still wasn't sure whether Phillip was actually comfortable, or just pretending to be for her sake. 

Anne's mood suddenly changed when they walked into the restaurant to take their seats. Sat at the table next to theirs, having a conversation and laughing with her parents, were Eli and his mom. “Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me.” “What's wrong?” Phillip was immediately worried, Anne rarely swore, and if she did you knew it was serious. 

Anne turned to face Phillip, “The guy currently talking to my mom? Yeah, that would be Eli.” “Oh, I see.” Phillip craned his head around Anne to get a better look at her ex. He couldn't deny that Eli was good looking; the phrase tall, dark and handsome came into his head. He knew that if Eli was Anne's type, there was absolutely no way he would be. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when Anne tugged on his hand. “C’mon, let's just leave. They haven't noticed us yet, I'll text my mom and tell her I'm sick or something.” 

“No, Anne. It'll be fine. Isn't this the whole reason I'm here this week? So that you can prove to your parents there's no way you're ever going to get back with him and they need to let the idea go?” Anne sighed. “Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you.” 

With that, Anne let Phillip drag her towards her parents and ex boyfriend. 

“Anne, Phillip, there you are!” Hazel Wheeler stood up and hugged Anne and Phillip in turn. “Look who we bumped into.” 

“Hey Annie, long time no see!” Anne sighed internally and rolled her eyes before turning to greet Eli. “Eli, hi. How've you been?” Anne hoped the smile on her face looked more genuine than it felt. 

“I've been great thanks. What about you? Sure looks like the last few years have been good to you.” Eli looked Anne up and down and she cringed. He didn't have the right to look at her like that anymore. 

As if he could sense how uncomfortable she was, Phillip leaned around her, offering Eli a hand to shake. “Hello Eli, I'm Phillip. Anne's boyfriend.” Eli narrowed his eyes slightly before shaking Phillip's hand. To diffuse the slightly awkward tension that had settled over the table Anne pulled Phillip into their seats and picked up a menu. 

As the evening wore on Phillip was growing less and less comfortable. Every conversation so far had been a story about Anne and Eli, and their relationship. Phillip was sure that Anne's parents weren't doing it deliberately, Eli’s mom was clearly a friend and their children's history was common ground. He just felt like he was an outsider, he didn't know these stories, and Eli wasn't exactly making an effort to be friendly. He'd basically ignored Phillip all evening, but done everything in his power to get Anne to talk to him. 

Anne had of course noticed both Phillip and Eli’s behaviour, so to try and put Phillip at ease, and stop Eli’s constant smirking, she placed her arm around Phillip's shoulder, and kissed him on the cheek, before whispering in his ear. “Are you okay?” Phillip was trying to process the fact that Anne had just kissed him, and apart from when they'd been asleep, this was the longest she had touched him. Phillip cleared his throat before responding. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.” 

Despite Anne's best efforts to deter Eli, and steer the conversations onto other topics, he always managed to turn it back to their relationship. If they hadn't been in public Anne would've kicked off big time by now. It was taking everything in her to not, and she was using Phillip to try and keep calm. At some point while she had been cuddling up to him, his arm had slipped around her waist and every time she could feel herself getting riled up, she focused her attention on Phillip, and how his arm felt like an anchor, keeping her in place. 

As their main courses finally arrived, Eli’s mother turned to Anne and asked how she and Phillip met. Anne put down her drink and smiled. “When I moved out I got a job at a performing arts studio, I'm one of the dance teachers. About a year after we opened the studio hit some financial issues and so the boss brought Phillip in as an investor, but he liked the studio so much that instead of just investing, he got totally involved, and now he owns half the studio. I knew the first day I met him that he was special, I just didn't realise how special until a few months later.” Anne finished the story and looked at Phillip, who was already looking back at her with slightly pink cheeks. 

Eli’s mom made a comment about how Anne seemed very happy, while Eli looked like the waiter had spit in his food. Noting the look on her ex boyfriend's face, Anne placed her hand over Phillip's on the table, and stole some of his fries. 

At Phillip's incredulous look Anne laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “What? It's payback for you stealing my toast this morning.” She stuck her tongue out at him, before shoving another handful of fries in her mouth. Phillip just laughed before eating the rest of his meal. Phillip had finally managed to relax a little, and while he knew that Anne had only been all over him to prove a point, he had to admit it felt nice, her knowing him well enough to realise when he was uncomfortable and needed reassuring. 

Once the plates were cleared away discussion turned to dessert. Hazel and Eli’s mom had decided they would just have coffee, but Jacob was insistent that it was the best part of a meal. Anne convinced Phillip to share a slice of cheesecake with her, saying that she was too full to eat a whole slice herself, but she also didn't want to miss out. Phillip was also incredibly full, but he had realised quite soon after meeting Anne that he would pretty much grant her anything she requested of him. 

As they spoon fed each other pieces of dessert, their heads close together while whispering and giggling, they failed to notice how uncomfortable the rest of the table looked. 

It was only after they had left the restaurant and walked into the house that Hazel broached the topic. “I must say Anne. I expected better of you tonight. You were incredibly rude to Eli and his mother, you didn't even bother to say bye! I understand that you weren't expecting them to be there, and that it was probably a little bit awkward for you, but that was no reason to act like a love sick teenager and be throwing yourself at your boyfriend at the dinner table. I think you should call Eli and apologise to him and his mother.” 

As soon as Hazel had finished speaking she turned to find her daughter staring at her with wide eyes. “Did I hear that right?! You think that I should apologise? For what, exactly? First of all, he's my boyfriend, and we're both adults, I'll act how I like thank you. Secondly, did it not even occur to you, or dad, that it was rude to invite my ex boyfriend and his mom to join our meal, when the whole point of it was so you could get to know Phillip? And then you spent the majority of the evening ignoring him, talking about the past and bringing up things that are no longer relevant to my life. You made absolutely no effort to include Phillip in anything tonight and that's not only incredibly rude, but it's downright disrespectful! I am well aware that the pair of you thought me and Eli would get married and live happily ever after, but sometimes that's not how life works. It's rare that people's first relationship ends up lasting forever. Just because yours did that does not mean it's the same for everyone! I'm your daughter, and I love you, and I'm aware that you love me, and you just want what's best for me, but I have never been happier than am I with Phillip. It's time you start respecting my choices and accept that I'm never going to get back with Eli. What we had was great, for the most part, but you seem to have forgotten that he dumped me. That relationship is in the past, and that's where it needs to stay. I love Phillip, more than anything, and if you two don't start accepting that, and leave Eli out of it, then we may as well go home. I'm not sticking around for another evening like this!” Anne marched past her parents and up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door. 

Phillip stood awkwardly in the living room with her parents, not quite sure as to what had just happened. He thought at one point that Anne had said she loved him, but it was either wishful thinking, or she was really trying to get her parents to let Eli go. Probably both. 

Phillip rubbed the back of his neck, before slowly heading towards the stairs. “I should probably go and, um, see if she's okay.” Hazel looked at him and sighed. “Yeah, you should. And she's right in a way. We were disrespectful to you tonight Phillip, and I'm sorry. I think we all need to get some sleep.” 

Phillip just nodded and followed Anne up the stairs. He knocked on the door before entering Anne's bedroom. Anne had already changed into her sleep clothes and was sitting on the edge of her bed, wiping away a tear. “Hey.” Phillip's voice was soft, he hated seeing her so upset.

Anne looked up at him and cleared her throat. “Hey. I'm sorry about that. All of it. I'm sorry about Eli being in the restaurant, I'm sorry about my parents behaviour, I'm sorry that you had to see me yelling at them like that.” 

Phillip crossed to Anne and sat on the bed next to her, taking her hand. “You have nothing to apologise for. I was the one who said we'd stay for dinner, and to be fair, it's not like your parents knew Eli was going to be there, they were just being polite. And your mom apologised to me just now, so she was obviously listening to you, even if you were yelling at her.” Anne let out a small laugh. “I'm gonna go get changed, back in a minute, okay?” Phillip stood up and squeezed Anne's hand before grabbing his pyjamas and heading into the bathroom. 

When he came out, Anne was already in bed so he shut off the light and joined her. As soon as he laid down he felt Anne roll towards him and grab his hand beneath the covers. “Thank you, for putting up with everything tonight, and sticking around. Though it's only day two, so there's still plenty of time for you to decide it's not worth it and go home.” 

Phillip laughed lightly as he withdrew his hand from Anne's so he could put his arm around her waist and pull her into his side. She immediately put her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his middle. “I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Now get some sleep, you need it.” 

He gently kissed Anne on the forehead before resting his head on top of hers and closing his eyes. The last thought Anne had before she drifted off to sleep was that she was incredibly lucky to have Phillip in her life, and that what she had told her mother earlier was true. 

She really did love Phillip more than anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really suck at updating, and I'm so sorry. I'll try to be better

Sunday 

Anne woke up on Sunday to a light knocking on the bedroom door. She noticed that she was once again wrapped around Phillip, and sighed at the thought of having to untangle herself. 

Moving gently so as not to wake the still sleeping Phillip, Anne got out of bed and opened the door to her mother. Hazel gave Anne an apologetic look. "Sorry, did I wake you?" 

Anne had not forgotten the previous evening's events. "It doesn't matter. What do you want?" 

"Anne, don't be like this please. I came up here to try and talk to you properly. Your father and I would like to take you and Phillip out for the day, if you'll let us. We want to apologise for last night." Anne felt herself giving in before her mother had finished speaking. Part of her knew that she'd probably over reacted last night and her parents were obviously trying. 

"I'll have to speak to Phillip when he wakes up, but that sounds nice. What did you have in mind?" 

Hazel grins at her daughter before replying. "It's going to be warm today, so we thought the beach might be nice. Something simple and relaxed so we can get to know Phillip better. Your father and I will head down there now and you two can join us when you're ready." Hazel squeezes Anne's hand quickly before making her way back downstairs. 

Anne turned and stepped back into her bedroom, startling slightly when she saw that Phillip was awake and sitting up, watching her with a smile. "Good morning. So, did I hear that we're going to the beach today?" Anne tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered in her chest when he smiled at her, and walked towards the bathroom to distract herself. "Yes, but only if you're okay with it. You can say you don't want to, they won't mind." 

"I actually think it sounds like a great idea." Phillip raised his voice slightly so Anne could hear him from the bathroom. 

A few seconds later she came out fully dressed and Phillip took his turn to get ready. Anne was contemplating the day ahead of them, so far in front of her parents there had been some minor flirting and some hand holding, but if the four of them were about to spend the entire day together Anne had the feeling that her and Phillip might need to up their game. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" Anne startled as Phillip walked out of the bathroom behind her and steeled herself for what she was about to say as she turned to face Phillip. "Look, this is kind of awkward, and if you're uncomfortable then we won't do it - 

"Anne, you look nervous, just tell me, it'll be fine. I promise." Phillip took her hand and squeezed it gently, so Anne took a deep breath and continued. "I think that we might need to lay it on a bit thicker today. It's just going to be us and my parents and they're bound to be watching us." She looked down at her feet as she finished speaking, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. 

Phillip just let out a small laugh and began tugging her out of the room by their still joined hands. "That's not an issue Anne, like at all. It's the whole reason I'm here, remember?" As they left the house to begin the short walk down to the beach Phillip let go of Anne's hand and put his arm around her waist instead, tugging her closer to him. Anne was trying to keep her breathing in check, she knew Phillip always smelled good, but was it always this good?! She was then hit with the sudden realisation that she had never been this close to him whilst they were awake, her entire left side was pressed up against him and the few inches she had on him meant that her arm had to go around his waist so they could walk comfortably. 

"There you are!" Jacob shouted as Annne and Phillip made their way onto the sand and towards where her parents had set up for the day. "We were beginning to wonder if you were going to make it. I thought that maybe you'd decided to take advantage of the free house, if you know what I mean." Anne's father winked at her as Hazel gave her husband a disapproving glare and lightly slapped his arm. 

Anne and Phillip felt themselves blushing and very deliberately avoided looking at each other as they put their bags down on the sand. Before sitting, Anne pulled off the white cotton dress she had been wearing, revealing a bright yellow bikini underneath. 

Phillip immediately felt his face getting hot and knew he should avert his eyes, but was finding it quite impossible. Surely it should be illegal for anyone to have legs that long. 

Trying to distract himself, Phillip pulled off his shirt and sat down on the sand with his back to Anne, who was currently attempting to stop herself from wrapping her arms around Phillip's neck and feeling his chest. She could feel her face heat up just thinking about what his abs felt like, and although she'd been cuddled up against him the past two nights, this was the first time she was seeing him shirtless. Anne felt like she was short circuiting, she needed to do something, and now. 

"It's getting really hot. Does anyone fancy an ice cream?" She turned towards her parents as she grabbed her purse from her bag. "That's a great idea honey, I'll come with you." Hazel stood up and linked her arm with her daughter's. 

Remembering what Anne had said about upping their game, Phillip gave Anne's hand a squeeze as she left. He had to try incredibly hard not to stare at Anne as she walked away, but was obviously not as successful as he thought he'd been. 

"See something you like?" A nudge from Anne's father pulled Phillip from his thoughts, which was probably a good thing, as they were starting to become slightly inappropriate. "Oh uh, sorry." Phillip shook his head to clear it before sheepishly looking at Jacob. 

"It's okay, I get it. You guys are young and in love. Me and Hazel were the exact same, just couldn't keep our eyes or hands off each other. I do want to thank you for keeping the pda to a minimum in front of me though. I know my baby girl is an adult now but there are some things a father doesn't want to think about too much." Phillip gave an uncomfortable laugh. At least he knew that Jacob believed he and Anne were actually together, but he had no idea what made Jacob think Anne was in love with him. Clearly she was an excellent actress. 

*

"So, now that we've left the men on the beach, tell me everything. I feel like we haven't had a proper chance to catch up since you've been home. It's girl talk time." Hazel poked Anne in the ribs and laughed when the younger woman rolled her eyes. "Seriously mom, I'm not a teenager. But things are good. Phillip is the most amazing person I have ever met. He's so kind, and thoughtful, and funny, and he knows me so well." 

"He's not bad to look at either." 

"Mom!" Hazel laughed at Anne's outrage. "I'm just saying. But in all honesty, it's nice to see you so happy and in love. He seems like a great guy, and the two of you are clearly very much in love. Someone's only gotta see the way you look at each other to tell." Anne couldn't believe they'd convinced her parents so thoroughly already. 

She knew that she definitely looked at Phillip like she was in love with him, because she was, but there was no way Phillip looked at her the same way. He was obviously a very good actor. 

As the girls walked back to the sand, ice creams in hand, they saw that the boys had somehow managed to acquire three deck chairs. Hazel rolled her eyes as she shouted from a few feet away. "What was wrong with sitting on the sand?" 

"I'm getting old, being so low down starts to take a toll on my back after a few hours. Unfortunately, the rental hut only had three chairs left so someone's gonna have to take one for the team." As Anne and Hazel reached the chairs Jacob leant back in his, making it clear he would not be volunteering to sit on the sand again. It was at this moment that Anne got an idea. It was risky, but her and Phillip had talked about hamming it up in front of her parents. 

Taking a deep breath to steel herself she walked right up to Phillip in his chair, and wordlessly handed him his ice cream, before sitting down in his lap. She felt his jolt of surprise, but knew that he wouldn't say anything in front of her parents. 

The rational part of Anne's brain then decided to catch up with the impulsive side that made this decision, because as Anne adjusts to get comfortable her right side brushes up against Phillip's bare chest, and she remembers that she's in a bikini, and Phillip is only wearing shorts. She chanced a glance at Phillip's face to see him looking at her with wide eyes and a red face. She did kinda catch him off guard. Oh well, she'll apologise later, there's no way she's moving now. 

Phillip is pretty sure that he just died, because there's no way that this could be happening to him right now. He looked over to Anne's parents, but Jacob and Hazel were having their own conversation, and Phillip supposed that it wasn't entirely unnatural for a girl to sit on her boyfriend's lap.

The feel of something cold dripping down his wrist shocked Phillip back into functioning. He hurriedly started eating his ice cream before he could make any more mess. Anne laughed lightly and shook her head at him, already having finished her ice cream. All she could think about was how close they were right now. 

She looked back at his face, which was basically right in front of her, and found him already staring at her. Anne is suddenly hit with just how much she loves him, and thinks that she's probably felt this way for longer than she'd ever admit to herself. It was going to break her heart when they got home next week. Curse Lettie for convincing her that this was a good idea, everything was going to be so much harder now. 

They both realised that they were still holding each others gazes at the same time, and their heads seem to be moving closer of their own accord. Neither one of them was sure who exactly moved first, but the next thing they both knew was that Anne's arms were suddenly wrapped around Phillip's neck while one of his hands was on her hip, holding her in place, and the other was cupping her cheek as their lips connected. 

The kiss started out gentle but turned heated quite quickly. It was as if they both knew this might be the only time they kisse, and they wanted to get the most out of it that they possibly could. Anne doesn't think it's possible for her to be pressed any closer to Phillip, but she still tried, tightening her grip on his neck. 

Phillip had the fleeting thought that Anne's parents were right there, but it left his head almost the second it entered, because at that moment Anne had decided to add her tongue to the mix. Part of Phillip knew that they were going to have to stop soon, or he was going to have a very embarrassing situation that would not be easy to cover up. The other part of him wanted to stay kissing Anne forever. It was everything he'd ever imagined it would be, and more. Her lips were so soft, and she tasted like ice cream. 

"Okay you two, if you're going to continue that at least go back to the house. This is a public beach." Anne lets out a groan as she pulls away from Phillip to stare at her mother. Both of them are flushed and breathless, and now Phillip had oxygen he began to feel a little awkward that they got so carried away in front of her parents. He cleared his throat and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that." He offered the Wheelers a small smile before looking back at Anne, who was staring at the sand and chewing on her bottom lip. 

"And after we've just had a conversation about keeping pda to minimum Phillip." Jacob laughed as he mockingly shook his head. Anne suddenly stood up. All she could think about was kissing Phillip again, but she knew that was a bad idea. That kiss had been so much better than anything Anne had ever experienced and she needed to take her mind off it because she was dangerously close to confessing her feelings to Phillip. She didn't think she would be able to handle the rejection though, and she didn't want to make the rest of the week awkward. "I think I'm gonna go in the sea. Anyone fancy joining?" 

Anne turned to see Phillip watching her. "Yeah, I'll come." Anne gave him a smile before offering her hand. Phillip let her pull him out of the deck chair and kept their hands entwined while they walked down to the water. "Just remember, no funny business in public you two." Anne rolled her eyes at her dad as she tugged Phillip further down the beach.

Phillip was torn. Part of him felt like he should mention the kiss, but another part of him was worried that he'd blurt out how much he wanted to do it again and basically never stop. He was saved from having to make a choice, because Anne brought it up first. "Good work with the kiss. That was some great acting. I think my parents really like you, by the way." 

Phillip ignored the way his heart broke hearing Anne talk about the kiss so flippantly. He knew it was stupid to hope that it had meant something to her like it did him, but he couldn't help the small part of him that wished it was real. He gave Anne a small smile. "Oh yeah, you too. I think we've really managed to convince them." 

Phillip had turned to look at a few children splashing in the sea a bit further out, so he missed the way Anne's expression saddened slightly. She knew it was all fake, and that she should be pleased they hadn't had to work hard to convince her parents, but she still found it impossible to stop herself from wishing that the kiss had been real. She needed to get out of her thoughts before did something stupid. "Phillip?" The man in question turned to her, just in time to get hit in the face by a load of water. Anne smirked at his shocked face. "Gotcha." Without saying anything in reply, Phillip put his arm around Anne's waist and dragged her under the water with him. When the two came up for air they were laughing breathlessly. 

The foursome spent the rest of the day and evening on the beach, only heading back to the house when it got late. Both Anne and Phillip were utterly exhausted. After showering and changing they fell into bed, and automatically gravitated towards each other without even realising it. 

As she was lying with her head on Phillip's chest, his arm holding her close around her waist, Anne's thoughts returned to the kiss. She had never been kissed like that in her life, and if you'd asked her when it happened, she would've said she was almost convinced that Phillip felt the same way she did. Everything after that had told her otherwise, and she knew it to be wishful thinking. "Thank you for today Phillip, it was really lovely." Anne's voice had that soft tone that comes with being almost asleep, and Phillip thought it was one of the cutest things he had ever heard. "It really was." He gently pressed a kiss to Anne's forehead. 

"Goodnight Anne." 

"Night Phillip."


End file.
